Sister M. Zachary Sergeena was born in Chicago and baptized Penelope Marie at St. Mary of the Angels Church there. Her parents raised “Penny” and her sisters, Micheline and Sharon, in the city. Micheline is deceased; Sharon expects to be present at Sacred Heart Convent for a family jubilee celebration in late April, along with several other family members.
Sister Zachary entered the Dominican Sisters in Springfield in the fall of 1963 and made her first profession of vows on June 19, 1965, giving herself wholeheartedly to her ministry as an elementary school teacher and principal. She spent her first years teaching primary grade students at St. Thomas School, Crystal Lake, Ill. (1966-1970); St. Norbert School, Hardin, Ill. (1970-1971), St. Frances Cabrini School, Springfield, Ill. (1971-1977), and St. Joseph School, Granite City, Ill. (1977-1978).
In the fall of 1978, she pioneered the foundation of a new regional Catholic elementary school, St. John Neuman, in Collinsville, Ill., serving as principal while simultaneously teaching grades 4-5. The school serves three parishes: St. Jerome, Troy; Mother of Perpetual Help, Maryville; and St. Cecilia, Glen Carbon.
In 1984 Sister Zachary returned to Hardin where she served as principal at St. Norbert, and junior high teacher, through 1987.
She then served as principal and 8th grade teacher at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Bethalto through 1989. Returning to her beloved hometown, she taught middle grades at Our Lady of Grace School on Chicago’s north side through 1997. From 1997 through 2011 she was principal of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Streamwood, Ill., and then for one year at Our Lady of Victory School in Chicago.
From 2012-2015, Sister Zachary lived at St. Edward Parish, Chicago, and provided volunteer services at Misericordia, a care community for persons with developmental and physical disabilities, while also working part time as a receptionist for the parish.
When she returned to Sacred Heart Convent in 2015 she was a great support for the motherhouse community, driving sisters to appointments, and maintaining guest services at Siena Hall. Sister Zachary now participates in a ministry of prayer at the convent.
Memories
Sister Zachary recalls loving her first assignment at St. Thomas in Crystal Lake, Ill. “I loved teaching primary grades and living with the sisters in the convent,” she said. She remembers Sister M. Christopher Jones as especially full of energy and fun, and says the people in the parish were kind and welcoming. “It was an ideal location for a young sister, near the forest preserve where we enjoyed using our cross-country skis,” she remembers.
She recalled that one day when she and Sister Christopher were out shopping, the mild spring day turned wicked and the wind whipped up. By the time they got home the tornado siren was wailing, the sisters in the convent had, presumably, rushed to the basement, and the two shoppers—who had forgotten their key—were caught out in the weather.
“By the time the danger passed and the sisters emerged from the basement Sister Christopher and I were soaked to the bone.” She said. “We were just lucky the tornado never materialized.”
